Mars, Venus and Cupid

Marcantonio Raimondi’s engraving Mars, Venus, and Cupid was one of his most sought-after works. Mars, the Roman god of war, and Venus, the goddess of love, are depicted with Cupid in front of a background inspired by Albrecht Dürer. In Roman mythology, the two gods had an affair even though Venus was married to Vulcan, the god of fire. Mars sits with his elbow on his knee as he twists his muscular body to grab Venus by the shoulder. Venus looks down and away, toward Cupid, who pushes a flaming torch, a symbol of passionate love, at her.